A teenager discovers the ability to time travel and uses a book of sports results to his benefit. This, is not, the logline for the second act of Back to the Future Part II. It’s the reported plot of Almanac, a mystery project from Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes which was announced last month. At the time, plot details were under wraps save for the fact that it was a found footage film in the vein of Chronicle. Now, one site has gotten some inside info and provided a bunch of details.

Almanac was written on spec by Andrew Stark and Jason Pagan and has Dean Israelite attached to direct. Read more about it below.

The information in question came from Bleeding Cool. Here’s what they say about the plot of the film:

The lead character, David, is a smart kid in high school but he’s finding dating hard. He’s drawn to Jessie, the typical popular girl, and decides that he’ll try to attract her by winning the science fair, and the college scholarship that will net him. Bless.

David’s late father was a scientist and so he looks through his Dad’s stuff for ideas – and he finds two things of note. One gives him the ability to time travel… and the other is a sports almanac. Anybody who has seen Back to the Future 2 can guess where this is headed.

Two more of David’s friends travel back through time with him to abuse the almanac. Timelines get messed with, we learn more about David’s Dad’s research and there’s apparently a couple of pretty big twists…

Before you start screaming “rip-off” at the Almanac team I have to say, I really do think there is potential here. The idea is surely originated from Back to the Future Part II but the actual use of the almanac in that movie is glossed over in a quick montage of newspaper headlines. There’s tons of drama and excitement to be culled from the conceit of betting on sports and knowing the winner. I’m still intrigued.

Bleeding Cool’s insider also tells them when the film sees the light of day will have a lot to do with casting:

Much of the success of Almanac will be down to casting, I’m told. The lead roles spend a lot of time together, and its their relationships and interactions that will elevate the film.

Time travel fans will certainly be conflicted here. What do you think about Almanac?